Adding circular images to your PowerPoint presentations can help make them more visually appealing. Cropped images draw the viewer’s eye and add a polished, professional look.

In this article, we’ll walk through four easy methods to crop pictures into circles in PowerPoint. By the end, you’ll have the skills to customize your presentation images with circular frames.

Method 1: Use the Crop Tool

The fastest way to crop an image into a circle in PowerPoint is by using the native crop tool. Here are the steps:

Insert the image you want to crop onto a PowerPoint slide.
Select the image and go to the Picture Format tab.
Click Crop and choose Crop to Shape.

Select the oval shape under the crop area.
Click and drag the circular crop area to frame the part of the image you want to keep.
Adjust the size as needed, then click the Crop button above the image.

The oval crop feature allows precise control to highlight the most important visual elements in your picture. And best of all, it only takes a few clicks.

Method 2: Insert Circular Picture Placeholders

Instead of cropping images after insertion, you can add circular picture placeholders to your slides first:

Navigate to the Insert tab in the PowerPoint toolbar.

Click Picture and select Picture Placeholder.
Choose one of the circular picture frames from the placeholder options.
With the placeholder inserted, head to the Insert tab again.

Select Pictures and choose the image from your computer to fill the circular frame.

Following this process, your images will automatically conform to the circular placeholders without needing to crop manually. It’s a quick way to ensure all your pictures share the same consistent shape.

Method 3: Use the Oval Shape Tool

If you want boundless control over the exact size and layering of circular images, the oval shape tool is an excellent option:

Insert your chosen graphic onto a PowerPoint slide.
Select the oval shape tool from the Insert tab.
Draw an oval shape that overlaps the image where you want the circular crop.

Right click the oval and choose Send to Back to layer it behind the image.
With the oval selected, go to Shape Format and change the shape fill to no fill.
Then change the shape outline to no outline.

The oval will now function as a virtual circular photo cropper you can resize and layer however you like. Use this method when you need to crop multiple images to custom dimensions.

Method 4: Combine Shapes

The final technique uses PowerPoint’s shape combine feature. Here’s how to do it:

Insert your image onto a slide.

Add a circle shape from the Insert tab overlapping the part of the graphic you want to isolate.
Make sure the circle is in front of the image in the layer order.
With the circle selected, go to Shape Format and select Merge Shapes.

Choose Subtract from the menu.
Delete the leftover image fragments outside the circular shape.

This leaves you with a cleanly cropped graphic fitted precisely into the circular frame. Use shape combining when you want to trim images to irregular dimensions beyond standard shapes.

Achieve Visually Stunning Presentations with Circular Images

Adding circular cropped images makes presentations look clean and professional at a glance. With PowerPoint’s built-in tools, it’s simple to highlight the most vital visuals from your pictures.

The methods above provide options for every use case, whether you need speed, consistency across slides, precision control, or customizability.